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will probably happen at a convention that is still al- » most two months away. There is no obligation to Republicans, but there is perhaps to the general public, whose stake in the coming statewide elections is -v large.
With all its resources, the media can conduct a . rational survey of enough of those who will be attending the convention to determine the likely outcome of the balloting. After all, if pollsters can tell us by calling a few thousand people how millions of voters will react when casting ballots for President, then surely the can use polling data to make an accurate forecast of the GOP ticket.
During gubernatorial election years the media frequently conducts surveys to let us know which candidates are in the lead, even though The Washington Post survey has been so blatantly biased I would suggest it stay out of the polling I am suggesting in this column.
If one media organization is unwilling to do the survey by itself, them let them band together and pay for it by hiring the Mason-Dixon group or some other reputable firm.
Perhaps a poll would conclude that all the nominations are still up for grabs and if that were the case, interest in the convention would be all the more heightened.
But if the poll concluded that a couple of the contested races appear to have already been decided, then valuable information would have been dispensed helping settle some important lingering questions.
Now remember, media folks, you will not be_ doing this for the benefit of the Republican Party of Virginia, but for the people of Virginia as a whole. So I hope you’ll get busy immediately and report back in a couple of weeks.
(Editor’s note: John Goolrick, a former politicalreporter, is now an aide to 1st District Congressman Herbert Bateman. Opinions expressed are his own, a nd not necessarily those of this newspaper.)
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